Imperial celebrates Kuwait links with first alumni event

Imperial celebrated its growing links with Kuwait with a series of engagement events, including its first alumni event.

Space scientist Professor Sanjeev Gupta and a delegation from Imperial recently travelled to Kuwait to present the latest updates from the NASA Mars missions at Kuwait University. 

The presentation was part of a series of public lectures organised by the British Council Kuwait to engage school and university students as part of celebrations of the 125th anniversary of the UK-Kuwait relationship. Professor Gupta and the delegation were welcomed by the UK Ambassador to Kuwait, Belinda Lewis. 

Professor Gupta spoke about two Mars rovers, Curiosity and Perseverance, which are looking for signs of life on Mars. The session was followed by a Q&A with the students.

Professor Gupta said: “I was truly taken aback by the intense curiosity and thirst for knowledge about space exploration and Mars in particular by the school children and students during our visit.

"I never expected to be quizzed for over an hour about very specific details of how rovers do science and even a question about whether we would become younger or older if we lived on Mars compared to Earth. It is wonderful that our exploration of Mars can be so inspiring to young people.” 

Celebrating alumni 

Imperial also hosted its first official alumni event during the trip to reconnect with our graduates based in the country. 

Alumnus Mohammad Abdullah (MBA, 2004) said: “I am always proud to say I studied at Imperial. It was lovely meeting fellow alumni during the Kuwait gathering and I am looking forward to our next event.” 

Afwaz AlKhuzam (MSc Strategic Marketing, 2015) said: “My time at Imperial allowed me to connect with different minds and backgrounds; it has also helped me develop my business skillset in relation to Strategic Planning.” 

Khalefah Malallah (PhD at the Department of Metabolism, Digestion and Reproduction, 2022) said: “Studying at Imperial was an absolute honour despite the personal hurdles I faced at the beginning of my PhD journey. My PhD supervisor, Professor Tricia Tan, was very supportive, and I will never forget the help she provided and how quickly I was made to feel part of the family. The years I spent at Imperial will always be a very special part of my life, and I often reminisce about these times.”